Safe travels, HMCS Toronto, on your Arabian Sea deployment! This from the Defence Minister: “…. Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Toronto deploys to conduct maritime security operations with a multinational coalition fleet in the Arabian Sea region. These deployments continue our strong tradition of making meaningful contributions to international security, and maintain our long-standing relationship of cooperation and interoperability with our allies. I want to thank the crew – Commander David Patchell, Commanding Officer of HMCS Toronto, the 225 personnel aboard and the CH-124 Sea King helicopter detachment – for their service, and wish them all fair winds and following seas.”– more on Operation ARTEMIS here, and from Halifax Shipping Newshere.

Afghanistan Joshua Baker, 1985-2010, R.I.P. “Emotions ran high at the sentencing arguments Monday afternoon for a Calgary reservist killed in Afghanistan nearly three years ago. Janet Baker was one of six witnesses called by the prosecution to discuss the impact of the death of Cpl. Josh Baker and injuries to four others during a training accident. The process is designed to help the judge — a senior ranking military officer — decide the fate of Darryl Watts, who was found guilty at a court martial last month of negligent performance of military duty and unlawfully causing bodily harm. On Monday, Baker, who is the mother of Cpl. Josh Baker, sobbed as she described the day she learned of her son’s death as well as what it was like attending his ramp ceremony and funeral. She also talked about what life has been like for her since her son died. “I don’t really have a life anymore, it’s just an existence,” Baker said. “Two people died on the field that day — Joshua and myself.” ….” – more on the trial here.

Somehow, I think they mean “small arms” in the last sentence here…. “Residents living in the area of Canadian Forces Base Edmonton may hear simulated gunfire and explosions in the coming weeks – but it is all part of training exercises for the Canadian military. Officials announced on Monday that field-training exercises will take place in the training area of CFB Edmonton, south of 195 Avenue and east of 97 Street – from Jan. 14 to March 31. Residents living in Lago Lindo and Klarvatten might hear simulated gunfire, and sounds consistent with low-level explosions – between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. each day. The exercises are part of a number of qualifying courses run by the Land Force Western Area Training Centre and 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. Those taking part will use small guns – with blank ammunition – and pyrotechnic devices throughout the exercise.”

One activist’s take on CSIS and RCMP threat assessments“…. I want to highlight three main concerns expressed in the risk assessments undertaken by RCMP, CSIS, Indian Affairs, and right wing thinkers on Indigenous uprising that foreground Indigenous economic power. The first, is that a mishandling of conflict will galvanize coordinated efforts of First Nations across the country. Hence, the relatively hands-off approach taken until now. In the Federal Coordination Framework for the AFN Day of Action in 2007, their proposed solution in the case of coordinated mobilization is to “isolate the splinter group.” Second, that the economic cost of even a few hours of such coordinated efforts would be crippling and impossible to police given current resources. Third – and this is one of the most worrisome trends to observers – that solidarity and coordination between non-natives and Indigenous peoples will encourage the movement to build ….”